Relocation question thanks (King of Prussia, Montgomeryville, Conshohocken: real estate, townhomes, neighborhoods)

[doolish1]

When are you moving? 6 monthsish

Where are you coming from? NY to Ft Lauderdale to Groveland in Central Fl, to El Paso to Pueblo West in southern Colorado to Philly.

Why are you moving? Work

Where will you be working? downtown philly on chestnut st.

Have you been here yet? Yes on vacations.

Will you buy or rent? buy

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb?
burbs.

Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Single, 0 kids

Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A

Do you have pets? 2 small dogs

Do you want or need a yard? Yes fenced

Are you keeping a car? Yes want garage

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
suburban family feel, parks walking trails, etc.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work- preferably, downtown job. will drive

Shopping- Costco!

Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)- sure

Nightlife- Local bars are fun.

Train or subway stations- I will drive but from NY originally. very comfortable with mass transit.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I am white. Not scared of other people. Lived in El Paso tx..... where I was a minority and it is a great place to live.

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? craft beer


Looking to drive 30 mins or less to downtown philly for work. Not scared of trains. What neighborhood can I walk around in and get a house for 300Kish. Need a yard for the dogs. Looking for a newer house. 1990 to present? Like to walk on walking trails. Costco is the best.


Also, what are the city and state income taxes like? I read about 3 and 3 percent. That is better than delaware 6.6 I would pay. But it seems the property tax is going to even all that out.

Where should I be looking?

Thank you for your help.

[maf763]

One suggestion is Roxborough (19128 in real estate listings). You would be close to the Wissahickon trails at one side and the river trails on the other. It might be harder to find new-is construction under $300K but you'll find plenty of solid post WWII homes for less that will have the yard and it won't be a horrible drive downtown. Since you're working in the city, you'll already be paying the wage tax, and real estate taxes tend to be lower than surrounding suburbs.

[TownDweller]

I'll start with the last part of your question. If you are working in the city and live in the city, your income is taxed at 3.9%. If you work there and live in the burbs the rate is about 3.4%.

The other side of that equation is property taxes. Generally, they are much lower on the city. You could pay $3- $4k per year on a $300k city home but $6- $10k in some of the inner ring suburbs.

One other thing on housing - homes with yards in the price range you are considering will typically be older than your preference. You may need to readjust your target or look for well maintained/ updated properties. Also, there is a wealth of housing in the form of rowhouses (aka townhomes) and twins (aka duplexes) here. This can give you the yard you need at a lower overall cost.

In the city, the Northwest side surrounding Wissahickon Valley Park has a lot to offer. There are several neighborhoods that surround it. Those on the east side (Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill) are more diverse but farther from the Costco in King of Prussia. As you go up the hill, it gets more expensive and Chestnut Hill probably isn't an option. West of the Park, Manayunk and Roxborough are still a distance from Costco but are a bit closer. Public transportation is better on the East side of the Park with two rail lines instead of one.

In the burbs, I'll put in a plug for Conshohocken. It is a half hour train ride to Center City, but longer by car. It's close to the Costco and has everything else you mentioned including the Schuylkill River trail.

[rowhomecity]

Yes, I would say Conshohocken is going to have nearly everything you are looking for, except the housing will be a bit on the older side.

As an alternative I would focus on the Mt. Airy section of the city. While it is within city limits, it definitely has a suburban/urban feel and their is plenty of housing stock in your price range.

[skintreesnail]

Mt. Airy is also right next to the Wissahickon Valley park, which has tons of trails. The houses are older for the most part, but many have been renovated and you might find some new builds mixed in as well. Also, you might be able to drive to center city under 30 minutes depending on traffic, but also there are two septa regional rail lines that run through the neighborhood. Manayunk and Roxborough (both also in the city) on the other side of the park are worth looking at as well.

[doolish1]

Pretty good info, I will start looking at those areas more. Thanks for the tax information.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by skintreesnail

Mt. Airy is also right next to the Wissahickon Valley park, which has tons of trails. The houses are older for the most part, but many have been renovated and you might find some new builds mixed in as well. Also, you might be able to drive to center city under 30 minutes depending on traffic, but also there are two septa regional rail lines that run through the neighborhood. Manayunk and Roxborough (both also in the city) on the other side of the park are worth looking at as well.

All the houses that I've been in on my block in East Mt Airy have had a fair degree of recent renovation - new kitchens and bathrooms, replacements for the original windows, etc. In a way, this is preferable to the 1990's-era construction that OP mentioned. 1990's means about 25 years, and THAT means that a lot of those structures have parts that are at or past the end of the original build's life: kitchens would be outdated, ditto bathrooms; heating & AC & shingle roofs need replacing, and so on. The houses here were built in the late 1930's. In my 'hood, at least, they're well constructed and significantly renovated, usually not at the expense of losing their charm. This isn't to say that they're low maintenance - just that OP (or anyone) shouldn't look at housing stock age and dismiss because it isn't in the desired time frame.

Re COSTCO: there's one in Montgomeryville, about 20 minutes from here (and closer to the one in KOP). Don't know if OP was wed to the idea of COSTCO or was just saying "access to big box stores" - if the latter, within a 15 minute drive we have Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Walmart, Home Depot, etc etc.

[skintreesnail]

^^^ I agree, I think the housing in mt airy and Germantown is great. Lots of different styles too. The whole NW of the city is really attractive.

[doolish1]

I'll check that out. I agree on the renovation aspect, especially in heating/cooling and the roof. Costco is the greatest and driving is not an issue.

I have to check out Mt Airy and Germantown. Try to see if they have any houses with a garage and a yard in my price range. It seems very convenient to have 2 train lines going that way.

[TownDweller]

You will find properties in both of those neighborhoods that fit your needs. Lots of good information in these forums about those neighborhoods. Do a little searching and you will learn a lot.